Are three‐day voiding diaries feasible and reliable? Results from the Symptoms of Lower Urinary Tract Dysfunction Research Network (LURN) cohort

Abstract

Aims The aims of this study were to assess the completeness of voiding diaries in a research context and to correlate diary data with patient‐reported questionnaires. Methods Men and women enrolled in the Symptoms of Lower Urinary Tract Dysfunction Research Network (LURN) were given a 3‐day voiding and fluid‐intake diary to fill‐out. Diaries were assessed for completeness and intake‐output imbalances. They were assigned to one of four categories based on a percentage of missing data and fluid imbalance: no diary submitted, unusable (>40% missing void or intake volumes, or unphysiological fluid imbalance), usable but not complete, and complete. Results A total of 1064 participants were enrolled and 85% (n = 902) returned the bladder diary. Of the diaries returned, 94% (n = 845) had data on three separate days, 87% (n = 786) had no missing intake volumes, 61% (n = 547) had no missing voided volumes, and 70% (n = 635) had a fluid imbalance within 3 L across the 3‐day time period, resulting in 50% (n = 448) of participants with 100% complete diaries. Younger age was associated with a higher likelihood of not submitting a diary, or submitting an unusable diary. Women had a higher likelihood of submitting an unusable diary or a usable but incomplete diary. Conclusion Overall, 50% of LURN participants returned voiding diaries with perfectly complete data. Incomplete data for voided volumes was the most common deficiency. There was only a moderate correlation between diary data and questionnaire responses, indicating that diaries are a source of unique information.

A small pilot study to evaluate the accuracy and feasibility of a novel automated voiding diary device for recording urine output measurements

“…The majority of patients with LUTS are elders, and collecting urine in a cup and measuring the volume correctly may be difficult for some of them. It has been also reported that compliance and accuracy of the voiding diary drops significantly after a duration of 3 days 10,11 . For female patients, it requires extra effort in voiding into a cup than male patients.…”

“…It has been also reported that compliance and accuracy of the voiding diary drops significantly after a duration of 3 days. 10,11 For female patients, it requires extra effort in voiding into a cup than male patients. For these patients, the bothersome hygiene issues and accuracy concerns may be significantly bigger.…”

“…It has been also reported that compliance and accuracy of a voiding diary decreased significantly after a duration of 3 days. 10,11 To deal with these problems, we developed the novel voided volume measuring device that can automatically record the voiding diary by measuring the body weight before and after voiding. New technologies on health care must be introduced systematically and stepby-step.…”

The AUA/SUFU Guideline on Adult Neurogenic Lower Urinary Tract Dysfunction: Diagnosis and Evaluation

“…A voiding diary is a simple, noninvasive, and inexpensive method of collecting somewhat objective information regarding LUTS and/or catheterization habits. 4 Patients who do not appear able to provide accurate intake and voiding information from recall should be directed to complete a diary. 5 The pad test is a noninvasive, inexpensive tool used to acquire objective data in confirming the diagnosis of incontinence, assessing its severity, aiding in treatment, and may be used as a diagnostic and outcomes tool.…”

Translation and validation of the Persian ICIQ bladder diary

“…Owing to the widespread use of bladder diaries in clinical practice and research, researchers are trying to design userfriendly electronic applications for recording the bladder diary, making the process easier for both patients and clinicians [7][8][9]. Considering the fact that 95.5% of adult Iranian women referred to urology clinic have at least one LUTS, the aim of the current study is to translate the ICIQ bladder diary and evaluate the validity and reliability of the Persian version of the ICIQ bladder diary, thus allowing the standardization of data collection for both clinical and research purposes.…”